How cool must it have been to see the Sex Pistols, or Hendrix, or Led Zepelin in concert - or even go to Woodstock. Yours truly, following of from his cool first album choices, then chose this as his first ever live performance. Orchestral Manoeuveres in the Dark. Far too many vowels in there ..... anyway, repent ye not, I still listen to them when no one is around.

Hundreds of thousands of Catalans out of work, and little chance of finding a job. The new Catalan government already breaking its promises, and taking drastic cutbacks in health and education expenditure - as well as taking education policy 20 or 40 years back in time. Japan. Lybia. Wars and disasters abound. Retirement age going up and up, salaries falling. Catalan politicians tied up with petty inter-party games, ignoring the people's demands for a step forward. A nuclear waste dump to be sited locally just near the 3 nuclear plants we already have. More crap before we've even managed to get rid of the stuff Franco left us with. Half full or half empty, I could go on ... but here's a song which could provide a soundtrack to these days.

In Catalan, evocative lyrics and music, which some kind fellow has set to photos.

So, off to war again. Looking to the past or the future, questions arise such as; why did we sell them weapons, why did our leaders cosy up to oil-rich-dictators, what's going to happen next, and what are the real objectives of the good-guys coalition?

However, merely looking at the present, and having to make a decision whether to let Gadaffi slaughter his own citizens, or go in there, guns-blazing, to "sort him out" (either way, death and destruction assured), who knows what's best? I suppose I'd go for the second option, but it's not an easy call. Too many wars ...

divendres, 25 de març de 2011

Avui és festa a Tortosa, i aixi descansem una mica de tant de teclejar, i passarem un "pont" amb 3 peces més de música en català. Primer, el ex-cantant dels Whisky'ns, Joan Masdeu amb El Carrer dels Jocs Florals.....Bank Holiday today in Tortosa (yes, on a Friday!), so being in a holiday-mood, we'll have a break from so much internet this weekend. Here goes the first of three more Catalan hits.Joan Masdeu with El Carrer dels Jocs Florals.

Back on Franco's monument theme I'm afraid. It has been nominated for Potato of the Year in a local poll (with "potato" being a screw-up, mess, botched job, in Catalan). Hopefully it will win and so gain more news and backing for our campaign. Hence the song ...Mashed Potato by Dee Dee Sharp.

Also including the latest press release from the campaign, with special emphasis on the difficulties we have experienced in bringing an exhibition on Franco's legacy to Tortosa. While other towns have found a place for it in 24 hours, we have not been able to find anywhere in 3 months of talking to the Mayor and councillors. Anyway ...

So, we've got past the Muppets and a weak compilation of US Boredom Rock, what next? Which "cool" group would a 14-year-old be going for in 1981? The Electric Light Orchestra!! So, Brian, once more was relegated to the dunce's corner in the room of teenage coolness.

Hey, I still like them!!

Today is the 4th song I've posted from their masterpiece Time which I bought and listened to secretly in my room, 30 years ago.

The early 80s, I suppose I wasn't the only one recording onto cassette everything they could get their hands on - pretty much like today's downloaders! But from time to time, the pocket money reached as far as actually buying an LP. As I said yesterday, the first album, the Muppets, could be excused as a childish choice, but LP no.2 was bought fully aware of what a 14-year-old boy should like. At that time, I suppose the Clash, Prince, Police, Human League, anything would have seemed more cool than my actual choice - a compilation of AOR music called American Heartbeat featuring a long list of "where-are-they-now" groups such as Foreigner, Boston, Styx, REO Speedwagon. Here are the latter with Keep on Loving You, a track I had left behind in the 80s - where it belongs - until now!

When you read an interview and the "your first LP" question comes up, don't you just fume when everyone has a cool, cool, album as their first?! Hey, nobody bought Rick Springfield or the Bay City Rollers? Depending on the age of the interviewee, it's the White Album, Dark Side of the Moon, Never Mind the Bollocks etc etc. Well, I'm afraid my un-coolness showed through from an early age. My first purchased long player .... The Muppets.

Too many heroes we will never know, too many sacrifices, but the unknown heroes who are currently facing up to the might of the greatest power, and danger, mankind has ever put together are in our hearts and minds.

...

We can be HeroesJust for one dayWe can be HeroesWe're nothingAnd nothing will help usMaybe we're lyingThen you better not stayBut we could be saferJust for one day

Another catastrophe to add to the list of human suffering. Another example of how nature can do away with even the most solid of societies. And, if we add our own risk factors to it, the magnitude of the disaster is further increased. I have very little to say on the subject as my words mean nothing, all I do is watch the news stories in the hope of hearing something good some day soon. It does occur to me, though, to expect some show of solidarity from the Catalan government given the links between Japanese and Catalan culture - one prime example being the Japanese "obsession" for Gaudi.

The Flaming Lips have also shown a keen interest for all things Japanese in their music. Here they are with Pink Floyd's track, Breathe.

I got my fifteen minutes of fame on local radio last week - along the lines of "foreigner gives views on Catalonia" (or from an English-centric point of view, "an Englishman abroad"). An interesting experience, served up with a good choice of music by Oriol, the presenter. On eof the songs is a special favourite of mine - Pais Petit (small country). The orginal singer/writer, Lluis Llach, here with an acoustic version, followed by a "poppy" version with Llach and Catalan group, Ocults. This second one here basically for the photos it shows for those of you who wonder what Catalonia looks like (well, the nicer parts!).

Electric Light Orchestra amb Telephone Line del LP A New World Record, 1975.

....

The same bleeping internet/telephone company has rung us at least 10 times this week with the same bleeping super-mega-offer. Hey, if it's so good, why are you paying a Mexican next-t-nothing to ring me up every day when the first day you got my answer loud and clear. I won't continue the rant as the kind of language I'd need isn't acceptable on my blog! Aaaaggghhhh!

It might as well be spring (Rodgers/Hart), de la pel·licula State Fair, any 1945, aqui amb versió cantada per Ella Fitzgerald. Ja podria ser la primavera

....

The nasty Pine Processionary caterpillar appearing in gardens aling the Mediterranean is the first annual sign that spring is about to arrive. This horrible little thing lets off a "dust" which can cause serious allergic reactions or even worse medical problems, from distances of a metre or two. Keep away!!

The second sign that spring is coming is when I switch the radiators off - just before the last unexpected cold front hits Catalonia!

It Might As Well Be Spring, a great Rodgers/Hart song, here sang by Ella.

As we said last week on our other blog, Saturday was bookcrossing day in Tortosa. A resounding success, at least one hundred books were distributed and probably many more as people were encouraged to participate with their own un-wanted books. There was lots of interest from local press and radio, so many people were aware of this. We left the 15 we'd been given, plus two of our own.

What next? These books will go to a good home, or end up in a litter bin? Who knows. But little by little, emails, phone calls, comments, are letting us know that some have been found and will be treasured. A great encouragement to repeat the event in the future.

It also coincided with UK Book Night! Another million books looking for a good home.

Today’s post will make little sense to most modern day English-speakers, who probably do not speak a second language. It refers to the gradual encroachment of English vocabulary into other languages, in our case Catalan. It’s only natural. In fact English itself is a mix and match of many “foreign” words, such as restaurants and bungalows, but as English is now the Number One universal language, this “problem” has moved on. In Sunday’s edition of a Catalan newspaper we counted many words used directly in English – often because Catalan has yet to “invent” a suitable equivalent (subprimes) or simply because the English expression seems “cooler”.

All , more or less, used with a suitable excuse. However, the reason for this post and rant is one word which I cannot understand why it has to be English-ized. Apparently people who go out jogging, or running (córrer in Catalan from the beginning of time), now call the sport “running”.

Welsh group Racing Cars recorded this song in 1977, 8 years after the film of the same name came out - hence all those radio presenters who say it's from the soundtrack, are wrong. Racing Cars simply wrote the song inspired by the film.

The film itself was based on Horace McCoy's 1935 novel about dance marathons in the USA back in the Depression. A great book, film, and song.

More on books and songs. The Cure's Killing An Arab song is not a dodgy racist song, but rather one with lyrics based on Albert Camus's novel, The Stranger - a book I don't think I'll be reading after looking at a summary on Wikipedia!

This weekend, Bookcrossing in Tortosa. Local author Jesús Tibau has organized a "second life" for over 100 novels, which will be left on park benches, walls, shop windows ... all around town. If anyone else wants to "free" those books they have at home, unread, gathering dust on shelves, feel free to participate this day too ....

Some time back I posted a series of songs with (weak, subtle, blatant ...) links to books, which can be revisted here.

Well here's Music and Literature Week 2! Moriria por vos (I would die for you) by Spanish group Amaral has it all, from Nicholas Cage to Robinson Crusoe, with a fleeting reference to Oscar Wilde's great novel, The Portrait of Dorian Gray.